PlotDwgs, a plot utility program

I have recently revised PlotDwgs to be easier to customize by other AutoCAD users and AutoCAD departments. This version utilizes two global lists, which are located at the top of the PlotDwgs.lsp file. The lists are easy to edit, even by a non-programmer. PlotDwgs doesn’t use or require previous page setups, or layout plotter configuration settings. This makes it ideal for batch plotting a folder of customer drawings or other engineering firms’ drawings. In the main dialog, by selecting “Varies” for the paper size, the program determines the correct paper size and corresponding plotter to use for each layout. This version also includes the option of plotting all open drawings.

In order to make this version work for most global AutoCAD departments, a few company specific functions were removed, such as a plot stamp function for title blocks, and a Bill of Material utility which updates an Excel spreadsheet for the database. The program may be customized to meet your requirements, such as turning on or off certain layers when plotting. For the International AutoCAD users that use metric page sizes, search and replace A-Size through D-Size with your page size names, and also edit the PaperSize function, and change the values of the Widest~ variables accordingly. PlotDwgs is designed to work with AutoCAD 2000 and up.

Save the files into a folder in your AutoCAD search path. I do not have access to testing the program in AutoCAD R14. It wouldn't hurt anything to try it anyway. It uses several of the Visual Lisp functions that may not be part of R14, but I have no way of testing it. It has been tested on AutoCAD 2004, 2005, 2006 and 2007. We don't have 2008 yet.
Regards,
Terry

Your version will look different, but here is where you can customize your AutoCAD search path. Just copy the AutoLISP files PlotDwgs.lsp, PlotDwgs.dcl and PlotDwgs.dvb to a folder in your own AutoCAD search path. Your drawings will stay in the folders where they are.

There are several ways to load AutoLISP functions. If you are just running it on your computer you might want to use the APPLOAD method. Just type APPLOAD on the command line and browse for PlotDwgs.lsp. The method I use for our AutoCAD department is to add all loaded functions in one common file called AutoLISP.lsp. It is loaded from one common AcadDoc.lsp file. The AcadDoc.lsp on each computer is renamed or deleted.
Here is the line in the AcadDoc.lsp file: (load “AutoLISP.lsp”)
Here is the associated line in AutoLISP.lsp: (load “PlotDwgs.lsp”)
AcadDoc.lsp belongs to AutoCAD and gets over-written when you install or upgrade your AutoCAD version. So I don’t place anything important in it, and rely on our AutoLISP.lsp file to contain or load external functions.
You can also type (load “PlotDwgs.lsp”) on the command line to test the function in one drawing, but this method does not work when you test the Plot Folder option.
To run the function, just type PD or PLOTDWGS on the command line.
To customize your version of PlotDwgs.lsp, you need to edit the top section of the file pertaining to modifying the *PlotterInfo@ and *PlotStyles@ lists per your system requirements.
Read the instruction near the top of the PlotDwgs.lsp file and make the necessary changes.